In a statement, ITW stated: “The health and safety of our attendees is our absolute priority, and because of the current health risks in New York City, we’re deeply saddened to announce that ITW is canceling ThrillerFest 2020. We will be providing full refunds to everyone, and you will receive those funds in approximately two weeks, as soon as Cvent (our registration provider) can process our request. We look forward to seeing everyone next year, when ThrillerFest will return in July 2021. Remember, if you have booked rooms for the conference at the Hyatt or any other hotel, be sure to cancel your reservations.”

“To help you avoid ThrillerFest withdrawal, we will be offering, in July, a virtual conference that you can enjoy from the safety of your own home. This event will include PitchFest, ConsultFest, Master Class, the Debut Author Breakfast, the Thriller Awards Presentation, and other special ThrillerFest presentations. Current registrants will have first dibs to register for these events before others are welcomed to join in the fun (if there’s still space). Details and your chance to sign up will follow soon,” ITW's statement continued.

The organizers currently are putting together the virtual panels so they will be ready for the online ThrillerFest.

Some highlights are:

FREE Debut Author PresentationsDebut authors will provide videos about themselves, with Steve Berry hosting, recorded and available on the International Thriller Writers Facebook page.

FREE ITW Author VideosITW authors are creating 15-20 minute videos with helpful content for aspiring writers and fans of thrillers. These videos will be available on the International Thriller Writers Facebook page.

FREE Thriller Awards PresentationAll Thriller Awards will be presented in a recorded session, with special guests and music by Daniel Palmer and Brad Parks, available on the International Thriller Writers Facebook page.

ThrillerFest also will have other events such as

Mega CraftFest & CareerFest; Price: $149Thriller writers will discuss the craft of writing in new videos. The more than 60 conversations will feature more than 120 authors. These videos will be available on a private YouTube channel for at least six months.

Master Class & CareerFest; Price: $399The Master Class will be held via Zoom (free download) with one instructor in a private Zoom room with up to 10 attendees. The traditional full-day class will be broken into two four-hour sessions. Eight instructors will teach, so there will be eight Zoom rooms running simultaneously. Those wishing to participate will need to submit a ten-page writing sample.

Pitching Sessions; Price: $50 per session Virtual pitching sessions will be held via Zoom (free download) in a private Zoom room with one attendee and one agent/editor. A tech host will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly. Those interested can purchase up to seven pitching appointments and specify the top three choices from the list of available agents.

Consulting Sessions; Price: $75 per sessionConsulting sessions will be held via Zoom (free download) in a private Zoom room with one attendee and one agent/editor. These consulting sessions are for writers who are not yet ready to “pitch” a completed manuscript, but would like to discuss their synopsis, their query letters, and writing samples for 10-15 minutes with agents and editors. Those interested can purchase up to five consulting appointments.